2012 adidas Nations: Day 2 Recap

By Aran_Smith

Sun, 08/05/2012 - 2:45pm

Day 2 Thoughts

Ray McCallumRay McCallum -- I got reprimanded by one scout for saying that McCallum was a solid shooter early in the day. I was reminded that he shot just 24% from 3 last year. But I responded that his form looked good here. He made me look good knocking down 5 three pointers in the night session. He was credited for 3/4 for 3 and 22 pts, 7 ast, 2 to, but had 3 in the first half and 2 in the second half (either he was on the line on two of them or the scorekeepers made an error). He's supposedly been putting in a lot of work putting up 1000 shots per day and the results are apparent. He won the point guard battle with Nate Wolters in day one and absolutely destroyed Peyton Siva and Ryan Boatright (2-13 fg) in the night session on Saturday. McCallum's father Ray Sr. is on hand to watch his son and Junior is making him proud. He's also making a case as one of the premiere PGs not only in camp but potentially available for this year's draft. He'll need to show that this shooting performance was no fluke and that he can bring his shooting numbers up considerably next year, however.

Nate Wolters -- After struggling in day one, Wolters woke up with one of the top performances of the night cap. He's well liked among scouts and will have a good shot to be a draft pick in 2013 and appears to be a guy that can be a back up point guard in the league. He's got tremendous vision and is an underrated athlete. His size gives him an advantage over many opposing PGs and he shows mental toughness. Like McCallum, he shot just 24% from 3 last season and it remains a weakness to his game. On Saturday night he hit 9-14 fg and 1-3 from 3 with 21 pts, 7 reb and 4 ast.

Nerlens Noel -- Really struggled for the second straight day. He's got one elite skill and that's shot blocking but even that is in need of some refinement as he's too quick to bite on pump fakes. He is so raw offensively that even shots around the rim are an adventure unless he has a wide open dunk. Some scouts really began to question him following this showing, but it's one event and we all knew this was an unfinished product. The #1 overall hype needs to be tempered some. He still obviously has top 5 potential but that's just because of how weak this year's draft is. Anyone expecting Anthony Davis 2.0 should just stop.

Deshaun Thomas -- He has been one of the more prolific scorers but has not been an efficient scorer. He lacks a great first step and the ability to create well off the dribble due to average foot speed but he's got the ability to score from mid range as well as knock down the deep ball. He also hits the boards hard. He went for 17 pts 12 rebs and 5 ast although he hit just 33% of his shots (7-21). He also had 17 points in the morning session in a game that was cut almost in half but once again struggled from the floor (6-15).

High Schoolers

Noah VonlehNoah Vonleh -- Vonleh is making a strong case as the top high schooler in the event. He went for 23 and 12 against team Latin America in the morning and followed that up with a 21 and 9 performance in the evening. He scores in a variety of ways and has drawn rave reviews from scouts in attendance. He has a strong resemblance to Jamal Mashburn with his low base and thick lower body, plus his style of play and ability to shoot and score. He has a very strong body and knows how to use it to make plays around the basket. His 7'3 wingspan also gives him a great deal of length for rebounds and plays at the rim. As just a junior in high school, I expect his upperbody to fill out considerably in the next few years.

Jermaine Lawrence -- Lawrence is a multi-skilled forward with the ability to play facing up or with his back to the basket. After not playing the first day, Lawrence had a big day two with 18 and 11 in their first game. He trailed off some in the night game going for just 9 pts on 3-10 shooting. But his 2013 team is undefeated at 2-0. He's listed at 6'9 but might be a little shorter than that using the eyeball test. After the games I told Lawrence he looked a lot like UFC star Rashard Evans. He had no idea who that was.

Really very bad news from this guy. It's unbilievable how raw he is. Is really possibile that high school coaches do not care to teach at least some of the fundamentals of the game to these guys? He has some very interesting physical tools but he cannot play high level basketball. I don't understand how someone can take him in top 5. I hope he will stay at least 3 years in college.